A TEEN who rode an unregistered dirt bike at speed through Kelso before crashing into a car has been told it was only luck that stopped his matter ending up in the coroner's court.
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Brendon Blake Dunn, 17, of Perrier Place in Kelso, appeared before Magistrate Elizabeth Ellis in the adult local court on June 5 to answer charges of driving recklessly or furiously or speeding in a dangerous manner, being unlicensed, using an uninsured vehicle on the road and using an unregistered car.
His solicitor Simone Thackray said Dunn pleaded guilty to all charges.
She said Dunn, at the time of the offence, was having problems in the neighbourhood and he was out the front of the house prepping his bikes.
She said it was a "fight or flight response" when he jumped on his bike and took off.
"He had a serious accident himself; he broke his hand and had an open wound," she said.
Ms Thackray said Dunn left school at 15 and is now a third-year apprentice.
"He is hoping to maintain his apprenticeship. He's waiting for Centrelink payments, but has indicated he doesn't want to be on payments. He wants to be a functioning member of society," she said.
"He knows he has done wrong and he won't be here again," she said, adding that Dunn accepted the police facts and pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity.
Reading police documents handed to the court, Ms Ellis remarked that "these facts make me think you are the luckiest teenager alive".
"You got your life," she said.
"Reading these facts, I don't know how you didn't manage to kill yourself.
"It's amazing you're appearing before court and are not one of the matters listed in the coroner's court.
"Consider yourself lucky being alive."
The facts before the court
POLICE documents tendered to the court outlined what occurred at around 9.35am on March 21, 2024.
An unregistered orange/black KTM dirt bike was travelling at a high speed in a dangerous manner in an easterly direction along Boyd Street, Kelso, ridden by Dunn, according to police.
As the vehicle approached the intersection with Culnane Place, Dunn attempted to lane-split two cars - a grey Holden Colorado and a silver SUV.
As Dunn crossed onto the incorrect side of the road to overtake the Colorado, the car indicated and started to turn right into Culnane Place.
Dunn collided heavily with the front offside of the car and was ejected over the handlebars and over the bonnet of the car, landing heavily in the gutter of the intersection with his bike.
He stood up and noticed a severe injury to his left hand. Witnesses and the driver stopped to help him as emergency services arrived shortly after, according to police.
Dunn was treated in the ambulance before he was taken to Bathurst Hospital for treatment.
Police said the driver of the Colorado said he was travelling east along Boyd Street before trying to turn right, at which point the dirt bike collided heavily with his car. The driver said he didn't see or hear the bike coming.
Police spoke with the driver of the other car, who corroborated the driver's recollection.
CCTV footage from a house opposite the intersection showed the bike entering the frame at high speed, doing a "wheelie" on the wrong side of the road and then trying to lane-split and colliding heavily with the car.
Additional footage from the nearby service station showed the bike travelling at high speed up Boyd Street.
The court heard Dunn is not licensed to ride a motorbike and the trail bike was unregistered.
He was convicted on all matters and fined a total of $1987. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Magistrate Ellis warned Dunn not to drive in the disqualification period or he would be looking at jail.
